Wednesbury family must pay £20,000 cost of roof damage

A family will have to find £20,000 to repair a collapsed roof after insurance bosses said they were not covered – partly because the wind at the time was not strong enough.

Nigel and Tina Botfield from Wednesbury thought repair costs would be paid for by their Direct Line home insurance but they have now been told they will not receive a penny.

The company says this is because the roof was structurally unsound at the time and that the wind was only blowing at speeds of up to 25mph – about half of what it needs to be classified as storm damage.

The couple are contacting banks to see if they can get a loan but now feel they might have to sell their home.

"We're gutted, upset; words can't describe how we are feeling," said mother-of-three Mrs Botfield, aged 41.

"We are totally defeated. We have told the children we will sort it but how, we don't know."

Mr and Mrs Botfield were awoken by the sound of their roof caving in at 6am on June 15 and were forced to flee as bricks fell onto Rooth Street as the gable end gave way. Loss assessors had suggested the insurance might not be valid last month but the decision was only confirmed on Friday.

"We've been insured with Direct Line since we moved in three years ago and we feel very let down," she added.

"We feel we have looked after the property."

As well as the cost of the roof repairs, the family will have to meet the cost of scaffolding, which has been racking up while Direct Line has been deciding if the family's cover is valid.

Direct Line spokesman Claire Foster confirmed the primary reason for its collapse was its poor structural condition.